A huge problem still lurks at the heart of Paris climate deal

WHETHER 4 November 2016 will go down in history as a moment worth celebrating depends on the guidance of climate science, the ingenuity of engineers, the courage of political leaders and the will of civil society.

This is the day the much-heralded Paris agreement on climate change was due to come into legal force. Prime ministers and presidents will throw down the gauntlet to the scientific community: show us how to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C” above pre-industrial levels and “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C”.

Long before the political elite chinked their Parisian champagne glasses with “low-carbon” celebrities, a cadre of climate scientists and engineers had been burning the midnight oil in preparation for this call to arms.

The fast-diminishing carbon budgets associated with temperature rises across the century emphasise the challenge of delivering on the agreement. The mitigation pledges submitted in Paris last December will still lead to an ongoing rise in emissions as we keep burning fossil fuels, enough to squander the carbon budget for 1.5 °C in five years and 2 °C by 2030.

Yet there’s no need to fear, apparently: the theory goes that we can use all of our carbon budget today, and even go into carbon debt, but then compensate for it.

We are developing a technical fix that will enable fossil fuel use for decades. Shiny bits of engineering kit will suck billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air and store it underground for ...

Create an account

A selection of articles hand-picked by the editors available only to account holders

The email newsletter delivering the top things you need to know to your inbox every week

Event updates, special offers and competitions

Step 1 - Fill in your details

ALL FIELDS ARE REQUIRED

First Name

Last Name

Country

Email

PasswordYour password must be at least six characters long.

Confirm password

Once you are registered, New Scientist will send you our weekly newsletter, as well as occasional relevant information via email from New Scientist about our content, services, products, events, offers and competitions. Please read our Privacy policy.

In addition, from time to time we work with carefully selected partners to offer news, offers and information that may be relevant to you. We take your privacy seriously and will always give you the chance to opt out of specific types of email.

Step 1

Fill in your details

2

Step 2

Verify your email address

3

Step 3

Registration complete

Why join?

With a free New Scientist account you'll enjoy increased access to New Scientist content and ideas.

Every week the editors release a selection of articles to New Scientist account holders. These articles are available exclusively to logged in account holders and subscribers. The editors selection can range from new features, opinions and interviews to fascinating content from the New Scientist archive.

You'll also receive the latest news and top stories in your inbox every week with the New Scientist email newsletter.

Get more from New Scientist. To create your free account, simply complete this quick form.